Coming to Terms with Chrono Cross - Part 1: The Game
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- The first part of a retrospective nearly a decade in the making. I revisit a game I've spent most of my adult life thinking I hate: Chrono Cross.
Chrono Trigger means a lot to me, and when I played its sequel as a teenager it felt like an insult. now that I'm well into adulthood, I decided to give it another chance it with a fresh perspective and an open mind. What did I discover? I love this game, it's a beautiful mess.
Part 1 will discuss the gameplay and general story of the first act. Part 2 will primarily go into plot of the second and third acts.
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Script Editor: / supremezerker
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Voice & Footage Assistance: / kbash
#ChronoCross #SquareEnix
Holy shit guys i just woke up from a coma after 11 months anyway here's part 2 ua-cam.com/video/ilXWDJDfX0Q/v-deo.html
Editing chops, comedic timing, substantive analysis, love to see it
Thanks a ton buddy! My philosophy is always "if you can't get em with the analysis, at least make em laugh at a good fart joke"
(Fr, I've already told you this but you really helped push this to the finish line and it means a ton)
Cross is my favorite game of all time! Also
.. Kbash in the house!
Holy smokes this vid was great, loved the personality/quips.
Most I remember about Chrono Cross is googling a "Chrono Cross plot explained" video and understanding nothing, so I'm definitely hyped for part 2.
I played Chrono Cross last year and was a big fan. As a plus, the soundtrack is a masterpiece👌
Time's Scar and Radical Dreamers will always be *chefs kisss*
the editing and humor is sooo much fun! but there's also so much good analysis here!! love this
Oh damn. Cullen really came into his own when I wasn't looking.
Lol the tim tam before bed
Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, The Last of Us 2, and Danganronpa V3 are 4 of my favorite games of all time. After watching your videos over three of them I think I've just come to realize that I really like having my expectations subverted.
Great video man, can't wait for part 2!
It’s great to see someone say nice things about TLOU2 and DRV3 for a change! I love those as well, despite the fact (or maybe because) they were so different from their predecessors.
The requirements to get that scene with Kid is really iffy. I've seen guides say that you can't have Razzly with you and guides that contradict that. It's ambiguous.
Im a pretty simple guy. My 2 favorite video games of all time, are chrono cross and legend of dragoon. I enjoy watching videos involving anything about them. And i got a recommendation for this video from another youtuber i like and now im here. And i got to say, you earned a sub. Im looking forward to more content.
Chrono Cross will be my favorite game of all time forever.
Ok. Any plan to finish this one? Can't notice, that a series on ff jobs is not part two :)
Check the community posts! I commissioned the FF video to another editor because the second Cross part needed more time. I wanted there to be a video there to tide people over while I finish up what will be my longest video yet. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait :)
jesus christ this video was fantastic. can't wait for part 2 LOL
With the remaster, I've been watching so many chrono cross videos and im sure others have as well. Glad people are talking about it again, even if its just a couple of us.
Overall Story is like a 7.
But music, characters, gameplay, peak moments are all probably 10
YOO i didnt know this was uploaded omg i cant wait
1st playtrough fuck kid i needs party members, 2nd fine im gonna be nice 3rd well i guess i have to get the last ones to catch em all
Is part 2 ever coming?
I've been posting about this on my community tab :V
The script is a good amount chunkier than the original and I'm now beginning editing. It should be available soon! To tide people over I'm going as far as to hire an editor to get a smaller FF video done and out in about a week.
As for a general description on why it took so long, right after I put this up my entire life got thrown out of balance for personal reasons and it took quite awhile to regain stability. I needed a break, but I'm back to making content more regularly.
Damn it Cullen now I might actually have to finish Chrono Cross. As an Australian I will absolutely do it while eating Tim Tams before bed. I’m aware of the irony of it never being released here but I told Sony I’m American so they let me buy it.
What an amazing video, your best yet without a doubt. I feel insanely pressured to finish the game before your next video, and I like it.
Thank you so much!!! This was an absolute passion project, and took much longer than most of my other projects because... well there was just a LOT to work on. Thankfully you have plenty of time to catch up before the next part! It'll likely be around 2 months until that drops, with the little videos I had in mind dropping between then to give me a break and time to reflect on this. Excited to just ramble at how I like chrono cross despite it taking a hard turn into the clown dimension
Poshul in hell made me laugh 😂
Right where he deserves to be :^)
Maybe slightly too many jokes for my taste, but otherwise this was a great video.
You're telling me, imagine having to write them all 🤢
Fr tho, thanks a bunch ^-^
Where’s part 2…
Wait is this a new vid? Weird it says video is 11 months old, but playlist says 2 days old. Anyone know?
Part 2 comes out today, 12 pm est lol
@@culIen thanks man I love the video
@@Sir_Loin_ Thanks! I hope you enjoy part 2, it's a full hour long and I'm real proud of it!
@@culIen can’t wait! I wanted to watch part 2 immediately after part 1
Great video! Thanks for your time!
Thank you very much ^-^
@@culIen Keep it up, man. This was a breath of fresh air.
16:59
NO...
NOT THE BELLS FROM DRAKENGARD 1...
S P E A K N O T T H E W A T C H E R S
commenting now to feed the youtube algorithm
What is your thoughts about Chrono Cross Remaster coming soon
Part 2 (which is planned to be around the time the remaster drops) will wrap up the story and now there will be a Part 3 about the remaster and Radical Dreamers :)
@@culIen oh
Great video!
I don't have a brother, so... thanks :)
Really interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Cross is one of my favorite games, but I 100% get why it's super divisive. It's definitely more of a game made by most of the Xenogears guys, which is a pretty far cry from Trigger's Dream Team.
I hope you end up enjoying what I have in store! I love the game despite it's issues, it's like every late 90's square game put into a blender. Super ambitious and aims for the stars, which I respect a lot.
Great video
Follow up!
Part 2 will be out in the next few months! Focusing on smaller projects to avoid burnout since part 1 took a whole month to make ^-^;
Besides *what* songs?
I'm legit serious, cause the idea that "aside from a couple songs the soundtrack is great" seems, at best, like intentionally underplaying the music. At worst, actively hating the single best soundtrack of all time.
I don't like the battle theme, the boss theme is okay. The rest is great, masterpiece even. The line was there to set up the bit where I don't like the battle theme, so no I was not saying I actively hate the ost. The line is meant to be interpretted as read, literally just a few songs are not great in this huge soundtrack in which I love.
For the algorithm
Based
Ummm... Poshul is awesome.
No sauce
Look I'm just saying. Ignore random Australian blond girl and you get the best bro. Who will carry you throughout the game.
If I could only go back and do it all over again
You can enjoy Chrono Cross as a separate game. It's definitely not a sequel. However, it's not the same with the FF7 remake. That game is hot trash. Chrono Cross aint as good as Chrono Trigger, but in retrospect, Chrono Cross is way better than most RPGs put out in in the last decade. And mind you, you starting in 2013 was kinda like. I was playing this game in the early 2000s. BTW, Chrono Cross has amazing dialogue.
counter point - ff7r ain't trash, its fuckin rad
@@joncliffmckinley5868 FF7 remake is trash. The Tifa mods are fire though. That's about it.
@@KT-rq9id counterpoint- it's not
Man called the remake trash and expect people to take him seriously. Lmao
Not really a fan of your content creation style. Watching this and the other one just because I want more CC content.
Thanks, I guess. lol
Lot of creator fish in the content sea
I like 6-7, when I played it. I liked it but I love music more. The battle theme, the opening, god that opening is fucking good!, the music is honestly, the most promising thing about this game period.
16:59 iconic
This is one of my favorite video games ever, and I’m glad to actually see someone taking the time to love it instead of just bashing it for not being Chrono Trigger 2. This video was really good, Cullen! I’m super excited for part 2!!
Thanks! I felt it would be grossly unfair to everything the game strived for to just compare every aspect it faltered at to the original. There's some of that of course, but Cross is so incredibly ambitious that it's just not fair to do that. Excited to get the second part out in a few months ^-^
Thank you for addressing something I have an issue with: anxiety regarding choosing the " correct" path in Chrono Cross
Chrono Cross is the first RPG I've ever played. To this day I haven't beaten it, 'cause last time I played I was still a dumb kid, but I actually really liked it! It is a beautiful game, especially for PS1 standards, and it's so unique! I wish Square Enix would make a remaster of it, but seeing how not even Chrono Trigger gets any recognition by them I find it hard to happen.
I really hope they make a remaster that tries to clean up the rushed ending with some new content that paces out the exposition better. Square has been on the ball lately for remasters, and I feel we can't be too far away from Chrono to get some new love.
Wish. Freaking. Granted.
Great video! Well worth the wait. Waiting for Part 2 will be harder though...
When are you making the 2nd part?!
Soon! I have one more video coming out before I continue full on work. If the rumors of the remaster are true, I'll probably make a third too!
I dunno if I can handle criticism toward Xenogears...but I'll manage somehow. Love the content!
As I work through it on my own time, I'm reaching that slowly. I just do not care foe the actual gameplay part of this game lol
I appreciate it though, thank you!
holy shit this was a ps1 game? honestly i though this was just a low end ps2 game. by ps1 standards this looks fantastic
Kid opening up to Serge happens in Glenn path if you go to Water Dragon Isle once Kid is back but it’s optional.
Like I mention, I got that scene on my first playthrough where I saved her. I think the key is Razzly, who you can't even get on the Glenn path. With her in your party for the isle her scene basically overrides Kid's, which makes zero sense lmao
@@culIen oh, you don’t get Kid’s scene if you have Razzly, I misunderstood. I recall years ago I did something that didn’t get the scene. It might have been Razzly. Also according to Chrono Compendium you can recruit Razzly before you go to Another World.
Kind of weird, I'm subscribed and this popped in my box, but I don't remember you or the video that pushed me to subscribe...
Holy shit, I felt the same way
Big same
@@culIen I've finished watching and will be waiting for part 2. Or whatever else you cook up.
@@KanaevM 😎👍 appreciate it, have a great day!
Omg I love this so much and you made me laugh. Mad respect for you.
Where is part 2
Soon :)
Thank you KBash for linking, this video is awesome.
There is a reason I think it's rather impressive that "13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim" managed to give all of its 13 protagonist (mostly) equal importance in the story... because Chrono Cross stumbled quite badly in that department.
Oh, big time. Any praises I give to this game fall far outside what most traditional good games strive for. It's more about the ambition and vibes for me
doesn't the fact that CC is so contentious actually make it great? It's that gud
i wonder if interest in chrono cross will pick up with the switch release on it's way
Cross > Trigger. It's like trying to compare Berserk and Dragonball. Difference is that CT is more approachable just like Dragonball and the masses lean on that. Cross like Berserk requires a couple of playthroughs and putting attention due to the admittedly poor pacing and text dumps but the game has far more meaning and artistic value. You can tell it was a labor of love for Kato.
Also Cullen, check out the Chrono Cross Another Eden cross-over and how people reacted. The overwhelming reactions make me think it was either immature teens or very loud folk that bashed the game so much back in the day.
That's your opinion. Chrono Cross is great and it would have been better if it wasn't a sequel because it's not that great of a sequel at all.
Dude this game deserves a remake
Another great piece Cullen! The script was terrific, I loved the editing... awesome stuff, man!
So glad I found this channel
Man you deserve so many more views. Can't wait for Part 2.
This is pretty out there compared to my typical video, so I'm just telling myself that youtube needs to just catch up haha
Thank you for the kind words!! Glad you liked it
Hmmm 🤔
Mushroom man owns the Termina element shop. Also he has spore babies.
I figured that first part since then. The second? Nightmarish
you know what's fun? going through the WHOLE game, being completely confused by the combat system and wondering why there isnt a single lousy tutorial about such a convoluted mess (except some dialogue in combat like.. 8 hours into the game?), and then finding out the tutorial was on the LEFT when you first exit your house when the game tells you to go RIGHT to go meet Leena and then collect the scales. Oh and the tutorial is gone when you go back to the village after finding the scales :D
aside from that, loved Chrono cross, would play again X)
While it does suck and even got me on this footage playthrough since I missed it, in hindsight a very skippable tutorial for such a weird combat system is REALLY funny lmao. I had no idea it went away either!
@@culIen ok in the spirit of fairness i started a new game to check, and in fact the tutorial is still there after you get the scales, It goes away when you go to other world. HOWEVER i still think that making the tutorial completely missable and hidden away like that should be ground for game design jail :p
Love this game. Great video.
In the Holy name of the algorithm, I bless this video with a Like , a comment and a subscription.
The audacity, the bravery, thank you 🙏
If you like this one, part 2 is now out! Been hard to make it visible since it doesn't show up in the auto play, so I just out them in a playlist and hoped for the best lol
@@culIen
Good to hear, I've started a binge on CC videos and yours was literally the second one that showed up. I hope the PC release will help more people experience that game and find your videos.
waiting for part 2
Been posting regular updates on my community feed! Scope massively expanded what I thought, so it'll be a big one.
PART 2 WHEN?!?!
I've been posting on my community page for updates, but essentially a combination of a month straight of work on this one and needing to uproot my entire life and move made me need a break. I've been making smaller videos in the meantime to improve my craft, and I'm almost done with all of the ones I had in mind. So, the answer is "soonish"
I actually love the way the character system works in this game. It outright eliminates the "fetch quest"aspect of a lot of other games. If you want side quests in cc you literally squad up with the character and y'all figure it out together. It adds a lot more depth and makes them more than just an NPC
Also pt2 when?
Excellent Video! As one of the dozen or so Chrono Cross fans seeing people talk about it in a funny and refreshing way is great!
I would like to share a few reflections of my own of some parts, and by parts I mean the elephant in the room called Chrono Cross aka Water Dragon Isle.
*BIG SPOILERS*
1.- Yeah, I can't really give you a good reason why the bonding scene between Serge and Kid is straight up missing if you save Kid. In my experience replaying the game the only trigger for it to show up is the choice between going to get the Hydra Humour or not. I don't know why they did that, there really isn't a good reason why that is the case besides developtment blunder. Which is a shame 'cuz I imagine that scene being unmissable would raise a litle bit the general opinion towards Water Dragon Isle part since saving Kid tends to be the first playthrough experience for most players.
2.- I personally feel the negative opinion towards the events in Water Dragon Isle and the Gnomes' actions are a little bit misguided (although I admit for a good reason). In a first playthrough, yeah, the Gnomes' actions and the Fairies lashing out at humans comes a bit of left field at the moment (and was my opinion at the time) but the further in the story and in subsequent playthroughs you can see a much bigger picture.
I feel the enviromentalist theme in CC starts taking a slightly more nuanced framing of human responsability instead of "look at the poor planet, how dare you", to put it in a way. NPC dialogue, optional and not, already tell you that non-human species already had an unfavorable opinion towards humans, most of them just decide to live in secluded spaces (like in Marbule) and those that are seen in human settlements are subservient to humans (from the caged mermaid to some demi-humans in the port and culminating in the kinda-slavery in S.S. Zelbess).
CC also always has this tinge that nature is not a benevolent entity. It's mostly subtext but becomes text when you reach Terra Tower where it pretty explicitely states that all living beings kill others to survive and that's part of the course. The dragon gods kinda exemplify this part, with the Water Dragon doing nothing to stop the Gnome takeover despite taking place right outside its room and being enshrined in that island. Also there's this sense that there's some resentment in that other species feel cheated in a way that humans just didn't play by nature's rules (and kinda has considering Lavos's influence). In fact, you start to later notice that animosity towards humanity is kinda inherited from the Dragonians, which had and still have a lot of influence in the whole achipielago and are evolved Reptilians, and those being at odds with humans even before Lavos's arrival. So I feel that a lotof the bad reception towards that arc is kinda taking the Gnomes and the Fairies and what they day too much at face value.
But despite that last part the game leans towards human responsability (the Marbule sidequest and a pretty telling dialogue after the Terra Tower being my prefered evidence for that) and is reflected even in the choice of saving Kid or not. You alluded to that in the video but regardless of what you choose the last Hydra is killed no matter what you do, the Fairies and the Gnomes were doomed. But even then it's not a meaningless choice.
In the "saving Kid" part there are actually 2 outcomes (sorry if you were trying to get across this but that wasn't my impression). If you save Razzle and have her in your party or if you don't. If you bring her, like you showed, a baby Hydra is saved and the Marsh + some Gnomes have hope. But you can actually not bring her to the fight, you never noticed the baby and the Hydras are extint, regardless the Fairies are boned 'cuz the Hydra hunting just went that far before you had any say on the matter. Even then CC wants to show that your choice still has some impact but overall there're just systemic issues that are you simply powerless against (another case being the Porre invasion).
tl;dr I kinda went on a ramble here but I geniunely feel that the events in Water Dragon Isle are way too misunderstood. I do agree that on a first impression it's feels kinda bad but I feel Chrono Cross still expects you to see that there's a lot more nuance in that part to unravel, especially if you do experience multiple playthroughs, and the game uses and expands Chrono Trigger's NG+ mechanic and diverging choices to entice the player to do just that.
Hey there, thanks for watching and the very indepth comment. I think what this boils down to is different perspectives on what we consider satisfying commentary. You have some excellent points, and if the arc had better execution I think I would agree with you more. For me it was that I felt there should have been a more tangible difference on the scene based on your actions. There's a lot of nuance and implications, and I think you're right about NPC dialogue, but I feel the writers should have gone into depth more. I overall enjoy what they say, something I'll go into when I get around to part 2, but this one part is the main issue I had. I would have probably explored it more in depth if I had more experience to avoid any possible misunderstanding of my points, which is something I hope to continue to be better. But I think it's important to clarify that I don't want people to assume I believe my words to be gospel. I don't think this is a complete travesty, just one of the weaker parts of a game I enjoy.
Hope that makes sense! It's been so long since I've written this video that it's honestly a bit hard to put myself back in the mindset I was in haha.
@@culIen Yeah, it makes sense what you say. And I still agree with your opinion that is one of the weaker parts of the story, and certainly not executed well (if the missing bonfire bonding scene is anything to go by), but there was still some I felt it said and wanted to point out. I still enjoyed what you said about it and don't really disagree with your experience regarding that part of the game and the points you brought up.
I look forward to Part 2 and the points you bring up about the 2nd half of Chrono Cross. Wish you the best!
@@Jaquinus Thanks a ton! I needed a break from this (it was a month straight of work, and that's just on editing. Writing and recording were another month or two) but I hope to come at it strong in the next month or so when I'm ready ^-^
Adding to the headache there are being technical here to groups of Humans you can tell the diffrence by weather they worship the Dragon's or Nor (And that just adds more question to this pile of questions)
The funny thing about the Razzly island quest is that you can actually miss it entirely because you don't 'need' to get Ice Breath. I played Chrono Cross dozens of times as a kid and I always just tanked the lava in the Volcano, so I completely skipped the Fairy Dwarf island subplot entirely on most playthroughs as a kid. It wasn't until literal years later that I discovered the questline in a subsequent playthru.
I also never knew how to get Glenn as a kid because I never thought to not save Kid because why wouldn't I? Plus, getting Glenn means letting Razzly die and I hate to see it.
30:00
Me, a Chrono Cross connoisseur: No! No! Don't bring Razzly to fight the Hydra! Fffffffffuuuuuuu--!!!!!
I used a speedrun in my first playthrough and I let Kiddo die simply because the speedrun told me to. This time, I will let Kiddo live, on principle.
Recovering from wisdom teeth surgery? Just do it awake
Amazing video, can't wait for the rollercoaster that is lynx explained lol
i continue to play this every year this game has always been fun for me
Surprisingly good video, i wasn't expecting much because views weren't high ( im dumb i know) but you really are great on this, definitely subscribing and watching some other of your stuff
Haha, no worries. I got a new one coming out in a few days and then part 2 of this hopefully dropping in the next month, so I hope that lives up to your expectations 🙏
I liked Chrono Cross a lot when I played it back when it came out. Admittedly, I might not have understood everything it was trying to get across, but I recognized it as something pretty special. Always wanted to go back to it in my later years, but with SE essentially forgetting its existence (which i blame on the crowd that hated it for not being Chrono Trigger) it's been hard to justify the hoops I'd need to play again (C'mon SE, remaster it and slap it on current consoles)
I really hope they give it the SaGa remaster treatment by cleaning up all the visuals and then adding in new content to "finish" it. Would help the game a ton, and I feel it can't be too far off!
The random SaGa Frontier gush at 11:11 was hilarious 😂 and you give it a 7/10
Also, Chrono Cross has quite possibly the best video game soundtrack of all time
Here in this house we stan super ambitious jank games 😤
I adore those 6-7 games that you can tell the developers put their all into it despite not having the resources to fully realize their dreams
the ‘bonk’ sound effect made me honk with laughter, which i don’t think is a sound i’ve made before. i’m scared.
congrats on 10k!!
Thank you so much! It feels unreal :V
Glad you enjoyed the video ^-^
I hear so many drakengard tracks, truly you have traumatized yourself with this game lol
If I had to suffer, so does everyone else
This is a great video essay! Chrono Cross has one of my favorite game soundtracks and environment design but I don't remember a whole lot about the plot so I'm looking forward to seeing part two. It's one of those games I can just really dig the vibes of without really understanding what's going on but everything is so pretty and the music slaps so you don't really mind just because there's so much cool/interesting stuff to look at.
Thanks a ton! The OST is really next level, and outside of the main battle theme I adore every single track. The story is an absolute mess, but it's undeniably ambitious and very engaging most of the time. Hope part 2 lives up to your expectations ^-^
that Dante music at the "combat dimension"... loled hard
I'm glad haha. That was actually a last minute addition! Nocturne HD has been on the brain and it just fit perfectly
This legit makes me wanna dig out my PS1 and hunt down a copy (or see if it's on PSN). This seems like my kinda weird, frustrations in mind, and your breakdown of it legitimately had me enthralled. Great work!
You should definitely give it a shot! If you enjoy weird mess RPGs with timeless aesthetics, this is SUPER for you. The game only gets weirder from here.
@@culIen I'm definitely digging the sound of that! These kinda games, for any faults they have, are always the ones that stick with ya. Thanks for the recc and good luck with part 2!
From what I've been able to figure out, Kid's backstory scene is skipped if you take Razzly with you to the dwarf/fairy conflict in Water Dragon Isle. So basically one of the prerequisites to get Razzy's level 7 tech prevents you from getting this critical scene. Great game, guys, fantastic design!
That’s why you new game plus fast forward.
I meaaaaan, you could've gone with 'this game becomes a completely different *beast*' to the ending bit, so ya managed to avoid the *worst* possible way to end the vid. ^_^''' (I feel the need to apologize because I don't mean to be a snarky jackass and I think I have here.)
Seriously though, I... well *adore* is a strong word, but I've been fond of Cross since I played it, certain bits you've gone over in this one notwithstanding, and certain **characters** notwithstanding.Along with mixed but mostly positive feelings about a story character that comes later. (The negative ones being wholly difficulty related and not writing-related, although I haven't played it in years myself.) That might be partially because I played Cross before Trigger, but eh. There's some proper *magic* in this game, and I thank you for deciding to cover it!
Ah but you see
I *wanted* to end it in the worst possible way 😈
Thank you for your kind words, I hope you look forward to part 2!